Amas Musical Theatre to Honor Lillias White and Nancy Santiago Negron With 2020 'Rosie' Award

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer), New York City's award-winning pioneer in diversity and multi-ethnic casting in the performing arts since 1968, will celebrate its 51st Anniversary at its annual Gala Benefit Concert on Monday, April 6, 2020 at the The Baruch Performing Arts Center (East 25th Street - between Lexington & Third Avenues, NYC). Honorary Chair for the event is Grammy Award-winning Latin recording artist and activist Rubén Blades. Tony Award-winner Priscilla Lopez will be Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening.

The gala evening will begin at 6:00pm with a reception featuring Latin-inspired fare and a silent auction. At 7:30pm the show begins with the students of the Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy, Amas' flagship education program, presenting a sneak peek of their upcoming spring production of Into The Woods, followed by a performance of 4 Guys Named Jose...and una mujer named María!, conceived by David Coffman and Delores Prida, directed by Maria Torres, with music direction by Grant Strom with a cast including Danny Burgos (On Your Feet!, The Band's Visit), Linedy Genao (On Your Feet!), Mauricio Martinez (On Your Feet!), Vincent Ortega (On Your Feet!, Mamma Mia) and Eliseo Román (On Your Feet!, In the Heights). 4 Guys Named Jose... premiered at Amas 20 years ago and quickly moved off-Broadway for a limited run.

The evening will culminate with the presentation of the 2020 "Rosie" Award to Honorees Latin activist/philanthropist Nancy Santiago Negrón and Lillias White, Tony Award-winning singer/actress and member of the Amas family. A scholarship in the name of Amas founder Rosetta LeNoire will also be given to a college-bound student attending the Amas Teen Academy.

"The Rosie Award is given every year to outstanding individuals who are leaders in their fields. Our Honorees exemplify the spirit of Rosetta LeNoire, not only because of their extraordinary accomplishments and dedication in bringing our world more closely together, but because they help show the way to others who would follow. We are very proud to be honoring Nancy Santiago Negrón and a cherished member of the Amas family, Lillias White," says Donna Trinkoff, Amas Artistic Producer.

The evening will benefit Amas Musical Theatre's education programs and a portion of the proceeds will go to Hispanics in Philanthropy.

Tickets are $600 and $350 plus a limited number of show-only $175 seats are available and can be purchased online at www.amasmusical.org, or by calling (212) 563-2565. More information is at www.amasmusical.org.

Since 1968, Amas has been a force in New York City, developing and producing new American musicals, a pioneer in non-traditional casting and multiculturalism, and a forerunner of theatre arts education for underserved young people.

Amas Musical Theatre was the inspiration of a pioneering figure in the American theatre, Rosetta LeNoire (1911-2002), an African-American actress who began her career as a child performer "planted" in audiences by her godfather, the legendary Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Rosetta founded Amas (Latin for "you love"), a non-profit performing arts organization, to combat racism, proclaiming "We are all flowers in God's glorious bouquet, every one of us, every color!"

From the beginning, Amas has sought to bring together people of all backgrounds, colors, and ethnic origin through musical theatre, and education programs have always been integral to the mission. Amas became the first voice of multiculturalism in theatre, and America's founding exponent of diversity, long before the term became a corporate mantra. Rosetta insisted on multi-ethnic casting in every show she produced and, in a few seasons, Amas emerged as an influential new force in the theatre, especially after she conceived the groundbreaking Bubbling Brown Sugar in 1973, which became a Broadway and touring sensation.

In 1999, President Clinton awarded the National Medal of Arts to Rosetta as "an individual deserving of special recognition by reason of her outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States." Actors' Equity Association acknowledges Rosetta and Amas' contribution to the American theatre by annually bestowing the Rosetta LeNoire Award ("The Rosie Award") on producers and theatre companies who exemplify her commitment to multicultural production and casting. Following in Rosie's footsteps, for the past 25 years, artistic producer Donna Trinkoff has continued to engrave the unique Amas trademark with musical theatre works that embrace different cultural perspectives while reaching out to underserved audiences.

Countless dramatists, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers and actors have graced Amas stages over the past 51 years, including Maya Angelou, Micki Grant, Galt McDermott, Sheldon Epps, John Rando, Tom O'Horgan, Ossie Davis, Billie Allen, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Andre deShields, Leslie Uggams, Phylicia Rashad, Brad Oscar and Christopher Jackson. The contributions of these alumni, as well as the dedication of the talented roster of early career artists, speaks to the unique and important work of Amas - a laboratory for artists who share its vision of cultural equity and tell timeless stories that resonate deeply.

"We are enormously proud of our rich legacy over the past fifty years" says Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer. "We will continue to honor Rosie's vision as we look to the next 50 years."